Featured Album

WXPN Radio

The premier guide for new and significant artists in rock, blues, and folk - including NPR-syndicated World Cafe ®

Listen Xpo

24/7 Musical discovery. A unique mix of emerging and heritage blues, rock, world, folk, and alt-country artists.

Singer Songwriter Radio

Featuring classics from heritage troubadours to new musicians and bands in the singer-songwriter tradition.

Folk Radio

Folk music radio streaming on the web; Americana, Roots Music, recordings, and stories from folk's best.
Listen Live

Delta Rae - Carry the Fire - Sire / Warner Brothers

October, 2012 CD of the Month

One thing that’s for sure is that Delta Rae does not lack ambition or appeal on their album Carry the Fire. And simply stated these kids can flat-out sing. The six-piece band, featuring four vocalists, is from North Carolina and they pounce onto the music scene with a collection of songs rooted in their southern upbringing and gospel inspired vocal blend. Carry the Fire is a lively attempt at Americana flavored with plenty of pop sensibility.

It’s easy to hear the potential on Carry the Fire. And as the story goes legendary record exec Seymour Stein also saw the promise in Delta Rae, and personally signed the six-piece. Those who have seen the band live will also attest to their appeal, as they’re perhaps even more dynamic on stage as they are on album. With that said, the band is really built around the voices of brothers Ian and Eric Holljes, sister Brittany, and friend Elizabeth Hopkins. The four vocalists play a dominant role on Carry the Fire. They each have a big voice, and when they all swell together on songs like “In the Morning” and the first single “Bottom of the River” it’s a pretty powerful dynamic.

And speaking of dynamics, the entire execution of the band is rather interesting. There are a lot of moving parts in the band and versatility seems to be the pivotal point in making it all work. Brothers Ian and Eric spearhead the songwriting. And for a young band with four singers, they seem to have a strong sense of each other’s voices and abilities. It’s impressive how well it all comes together. Carry the Fire is their debut and the future sure looks bright for Delta Rae.



Another Way To Support WXPN

Pick up Carry the Fire from Amazon.com. Your purchase that starts here supports WXPN Public Radio.

Help Support WXPN

Philly electronic music experts sound off on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories

Photo from BBC Radio 6 Tomorrow brings the official release of the album the internet has been eagerly anticipating since a 16-second...Read More

Watch: Wild Belle and David Wax Museum from WXPN’s Non-COMMvention

Wild Belle’s Natalie Bergman; photo by Joe del Tufo | http://www.joedeltufo.com/ More videos of performances from WXPN’s...Read More

Gotta Hear Song of the Week: “Burning Instinct” by Red Baraat (playing the XPoNential Music Festival in...

Red Baraat have been added to the lineup to this year’s XPoNential Music Festival presented by Subaru, the weekend of July...Read More

XPoNential Additions: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Red Baraat and Matt Pond join 2013...

This just in from the XPoNential Music Festival programming depot – three artists have been added to the 2013 lineup. Edward...Read More

My Morning Download: “ICU” by Lou Doillon

Photo by Mathiew Zazzo Singer, actress and model Lou Doillon is the half-sister of Charlotte Gainsbourg; her father being director...Read More